Adelman raves about his MVP center's historic performance in 136-105 rout of Sacramento.
The Denver Nuggets (18-6) came out and handled business in Sacramento on Thursday night, cruising to a 136-105 blowout victory over the Kings (6-19) and extending their franchise-record road winning streak to 11 games.
While the win itself was impressive, it was the way Nikola Jokic played that had everyone talking after the final buzzer.
Jokic put together a night for the history books by dropping 36 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists on 14-of-16 shooting from the field.
The crazy part? He did all of that in just 29 minutes and didn't even play in the fourth quarter because the game was already decided.
Adelman Calls Jokic 'The Best Player Alive'
Nuggets head coach David Adelman didn't hold back when asked about what he saw from his star center in the postgame press conference.
"Geez. [He did] a lot of everything. I mean, the efficiency, 14 of 16, hits a couple threes, always makes the right pass," Adelman said. "36, 12, and 8 through three quarters in 29 minutes is just — you just saw everything tonight. He played pick-and-roll as a handler, did a great job screening when he was the roller. We played through him in all the split-game stuff that we run. He just makes the appropriate play throughout."
The first-year head coach then summed up his thoughts on Jokic with a simple but powerful statement.
"He's the best player alive. So it's fun to watch him play."
Historic Numbers for the Three-Time MVP
Jokic's performance against the Kings wasn't just dominant, it was historic.
According to Stathead, Jokic became the first player in NBA history to record 36 or more points, 12 or more rebounds, and 8 or more assists in 30 minutes or less while shooting 80 percent or better from the floor.
On the season, Jokic is now averaging 29.5 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 10.9 assists per game while shooting over 62 percent from the field.
The Nuggets got big contributions from other players too, with Peyton Watson scoring 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting, Cameron Johnson adding 16 points, and backup center Jonas Valanciunas chipping in 15 points and 6 rebounds off the bench.
Jamal Murray and Tim Hardaway Jr. each added 11 points as the Nuggets shot 59 percent from the field as a team.
Nuggets Rolling Despite Injuries
Denver has now won four straight games and continues to hold the second-best record in the Western Conference, trailing only the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Nuggets are doing all of this while missing two key starters in Aaron Gordon, who has been out with a hamstring injury, and Christian Braun, who is dealing with an ankle sprain.
Sacramento, on the other hand, has now dropped six of their last seven games and sits near the bottom of the Western Conference standings.
The Kings were without Domantas Sabonis due to a knee injury, leaving them without anyone who could match up with Jokic on the interior.
The Nuggets will return home for their next game against the Houston Rockets on Monday, looking to keep their momentum going as they begin a four-game homestand.